It has been several months since we found out that Aleks has autism. We jumped into the diet and supplements and are thrilled with the results! We also dove into working with our DAN! doctor, ST and OT plus have Aleks in a special preschool with an amazing team of teachers. What I am wondering now, is are we doing enough? Aleks will be 4 in a month and we are questioning ABA and HBOT because it keeps coming up. I believe in God's bread crumbs and am just wondering if these are part of our crumbs to follow and what we should be doing about it.
I talked to one former ABA teacher who said that it's not for everyone and who was not a fan of the 40 hours a week. Honestly, I am not willing to cancel Aleks' school, OT & ST to get her into the 40 hours of ABA that some say are recommended. I am willing to do half of that in addition to everything else, but my gut says for her the 40 hours isn't right. I've been surprised at the few outspoken parents who tell me that it's not worth it if I don't do the 40 hours and that I am cheating her by not doing ABA. We honestly couldn't have handled it before now. Even now and with TEFRA here in MN the cost for us will be outrageous. We are willing to do all we can for her, but is ABA the right fit? How do we know if it's right for her? Also, we have the opportunity to try HBOT. Our DAN! doctor in Stillwater is one of the few around here who offers the oxygen chamber. We are still researching HBOT at this time to try and figure it out as well.
In the short time that we've been in this journey I feel like we've come a long way. The problem is that it is a journey and we have to much further to go. If you have any suggestions, thoughts or just insight please post a comment and let me know. Thank you!
Blessings-
xo
Melissa
Posts
8 comments:
Hey Melissa,
I just read your post. I think that you need to do what your gut tells you. My son is in ABA therapy 40 hours a week. He love it. It does seem like a lot, but when you look at it from the child's perspective, I think they really seem to enjoy it. They literally play all day long. It may be worth at least just touring the facilities and asking questions. Give it a trial period. You will know what Aleks can handle. My son attends Partners in Excellence in North St Paul..they also have a branch in Burnsville, and are opening one in Edina in late March. I don't know anything about HBOT, but it sounds interesting.
Hi Melissa
You've heard this so many times and you've even given me the advice - Mom knows best. Trust your gut. If your instinct is sending unclear messages, do more research, ask more questions, think some more, and ask yourself if you have the time to do it.
Through all of this, it's important to remember your limitations. I've seen your red cape, but don't forget you're also needed firmly on the ground for hugs and kisses and giggles.
Hi Melissa, 40 hours is not an absolute. It depends on the child and the other therapies you decide with your team that are important. My son does ABA (verbal behavior- modified form of ABA with more natural environment), speech, OT, music and hbot. We mix it all into his day. check out Hollandcenter.com
Hi Melissa,
I can't even remember what I Googled to lead me to your blog. I thought I was looking up my own supplements. I'm a pediatric SLP. ABA has some value in straight forward behavior modification, but it has a terrible track record when it comes to generalizing skills! In other words, after years of intervention, a child does not use the acquired skills in real life settings. Very sad. As for HBOT, it sounds promising--like we could all benefit from it. : )
Thank you for your blog!
Carrie
Hi Melissa, you may want to talk to someone at Fraser Child and Family Center. Fraser is Minnesota's longest-running provider of autism services so they have many years of experience working with families. Their approach is to work with each family to find the best services, rather than forcing a certain number of hours or treatments on a family. Best of luck to you!
Hi Melissa,
My son was diagnosed with autism, (pddnos actually) when he was about 2 1/2 and he got about 34 hours per week of ABA and it has helped him tremendously. Before he had terrible temper tantrums and was very non compliant and didn't talk much. He was also attending special education through our school district, OT and now is in preschool and doing very well. He got services through Minnesota Autism Center and we are very happy with his progress. Our son will probably be done with his ABA in Nov., he will be 4 1/2 years old then. I would give it a try, its made a huge difference in his life, and she won't need 40 hours to see improvement. Good luck.
Thru the ANoka Henniepn school district, I was taught ABA and was able to do it at home! It was wonderful. I felt it helped alot. I was told at the time to only do 20 to 30 minutes a day. I saw huge results!
Melissa
We use MEAP for ABA and only do 24 hours a week and it has not always been that high. We continue at OT/ Speach and some classroom services as well. We also use DAN protocol and most interventions you describe. My son is 3 and since starting ABA in September he has gone from 30 words or so to 5 word sentences. He has tested out of qualifying for services from the school district in 4 area's. Each persons experience is different but I have to mention ours has been very posstive.
Post a Comment